


Countdown

by coffeecup_and_ink



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Character Death, Death, Depression, Gen, Heavy Angst, I took a perfectly good family and fucked it up, I'm so sorry, Violence, Wind-centric, no beta we die like fools, that's not a tag and I'm angry, the discord made me do it, this is horrible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:26:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24691495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeecup_and_ink/pseuds/coffeecup_and_ink
Summary: Wind loved being a hero, for the most part. He got to travel all over his Hyrule (and now completely different worlds!), seeing new sights and wondering about things he wouldn’t even know about if he had stayed at his home. Sure, he missed Aryll and Grandma and he sometimes woke up screaming, but other than that it was fun.Or, it was.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Hyrule & Wind (Linked Universe), Legend & Wind (Linked Universe), Sky & Wind (Linked Universe), Time & Wind (Linked Universe), Twilight & Wind (Linked Universe), Warriors & Wind (Linked Universe), Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), wind & everyone
Comments: 20
Kudos: 125





	Countdown

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry.

Wind loved being a hero, for the most part. He got to travel all over his Hyrule (and now completely different worlds!), seeing new sights and wondering about things he wouldn’t even know about if he had stayed at his home. Sure, he missed Aryll and Grandma and he sometimes woke up screaming, but other than that it was fun.

Or, it was.

Wind didn’t know what was going on when they were attacked. It seemed as if it was just another portal, the feeling he got was just the same; like waves against a ship, like his stomach was moving with the tide, but his body was still.

They were laughing. Hyrule and Warriors were jostling each other in the front, elbowing and sticking feet out to trip each other, play-fighting. Once, Hyrule stuck his foot just too far and Warriors stumbled, only to be caught by Hyrule with nothing but a light laugh and a _‘Have a nice trip?_ ’. Warriors only rolled his eyes with a smile.

_One, two._

Time smiled at them, next to Wind. He looked calm, if a tad frazzled; they had just come from his Hyrule, and Malon had been crying tears of joy when she told them all the news. Time looked ready to jump for joy, and even as they were sucked off to their next Hyrule he only tensed slightly. When he noticed Wind looking at him, he ruffled his hair good-naturedly.

_Three._

Four was walking alone, not too far from Wind. When they had all been thrown together, Wind thought him odd; he would talk to himself, go missing sometimes, and Wind would swear until he was blue in the face that he once saw Four’s eyes change colour. But soon Wind realised that those were just some of Four’s _things_ , and they all had their things, so why shouldn’t Four? After that, they became fast friends, terrorising the other, much taller heroes. At that time, Four wasn’t too far in his own head, just looking around at them all serenely.

_Four._

Legend was just behind them, muffling snickers as he watched Warriors and Hyrule. After the initial outbreak of teasing about his newest hair colour, he had stepped back from the group, refusing to take his hat off even when they were settling into their bedrolls. Then, after a fair few apologies and reassurances that ‘ _Yes, Legend, we still respect you, even if your hair is pink’_ , he had finally gone back to his regular snarky-but-secretly-soft-ness.

_Five._

Sky had sensed it first. He always did. He was technically the oldest, if you went by their places in the timeline, and he was also technically the most important. He began all of Hyrule, of course, and he had the strongest connection to both the Master Sword and Hylia herself. He could have been haughty, acted as if he were the _original_ Hero and he was the best of them all, but he didn’t. He was sweet, and caring, and selfless to the point of recklessness.

“All right boys, this is our queue.” Said Sky as he drew his sword. “Get ready, we don’t know what’s out the other side.”

_Six._

“Ready Cub?”

“Am I ever not?”

“You don’t want me to answer that question.”

Wild and Twilight were, unsurprisingly, joint at the hip. Wind laughed at the sight. Wild had joined the group a fair few weeks after the rest of them had met, and Twilight had _hated_ him. Wild refused to talk to anyone, hood always up, always cracking his knuckles (a nervous habit, Wind had realised after the third tense silence was broken by the sounds of popping), and Twilight seemed to have found it infuriating. Wind didn’t know what had changed the night it had, but that night they had found them cuddled up against one another, sleeping soundly, Twilight’s fur coat draped over Wild. After that, Twilight gained a protegee, and Wild gained a nickname.

_Seven. Eight_.

Time looked around at them. “Everyone ready? Let’s go.”

Wind knew as soon as they landed that they weren’t in a Hyrule. The sky was too dark, the land was flat, and Wind could see it all the way to the horizon because there weren’t any trees. He knew it wasn’t a Hyrule because every bone in his body recoiled from the place like it burned. The subsequent freezing of Sky, Twilight, and Legend were just more evidence.

“This isn’t Hyrule,” Said Legend. “I know Hyrule. This isn’t it. It never has been.”

Twilight took a deep breath, and Wind copied him. The air tasted like fire. “This place has dark magic. We’re not safe here. We need to get out.”

“Sky?” Four asked, but Sky didn’t answer. He was staring at the Master Sword. He was shaking. “She’s not answering,” He mumbled.

“Who? Who’s not answering?”

Sky finally looked up. “ _Hylia_.”

An explosion rang out, so loud that Wind could feel it under his feet. Then, the army descended.

Shadowy creatures, bathed in the black blood they had been battling, hundreds of them. They gave the Heroes no chance to ready themselves before they were fighting.

The very earth they were standing on was against them. Wind felt his feet get sucked under the dirt with every step, and it only seemed to get worse when he realised it wasn’t dirt, it was ash, and he wasn’t breathing air, he was breathing smoke and sulphur and shadows and blood.

The creatures were relentless, attacking Wind with superhuman force and lightning speed. There were at least three on him at any given time, and every time he cut one down, another two seemed to take its place.

The back of Wind’s neck prickled. He whipped around, smoke in his eyes and every nerve ending in his body screaming at him. He watched, in slow motion, as Warriors was fighting. He was impressive, holding off at least five of the creatures, but even a trained Knight had his limits. One was behind him.

Wind was frozen. The ash was sticking him to the ground, and the harder he tried to pull his legs out, the further they sank down. From across the dark field they had been fighting in, he met Hyrule’s eyes.

Hyrule looked at him, then looked at Warriors, then looked at the creature creeping up on him, then back at Wind. He nodded once.

_One._

Hyrule jumped.

The creature’s sword was unflinching and precise. It struck exactly where Wind knew hearts were. Hyrule gave as good as he got, and the creature shrivelled and sank into the ash. Then he stood for a moment, looking confusedly down at where he had been stabbed. He dropped his sword first, arms hanging limply at his sides. Warriors cried out, but failed to catch him as he stumbled. Wind didn’t watch him hit the ground. There was no point, because he was already dead.

Warriors screamed. He screamed long enough and loud enough that the world screamed back at him, and Wind fought the urge to cover his ears against the sound. Warriors was fighting recklessly now, all semblance of calmness gone from his face. He must have taken down at least a quarter of the creatures before he was piled on, and Wind couldn’t even _see_ him die because there were too many shadowy creatures surrounding him and none of them stopped attacking until Wind couldn’t even glance at Warriors’ body because he knew he’d throw up if he did.

_Two._

Wind kept fighting. Time was at his back, and Wind could feel the world trying to pull them apart. The creatures weren’t multiplying, but it felt like they kept coming, trying to pull them away from the protective stance they had. They were holding their own, until one of the creatures got between them and pushed Wind down. It screeched, black blood dripping into its open mouth and eyes and from the tip of its sword, which was raised above its head and all Wind could do was close his eyes and hope it was quick.

_Three._

The creature was blasted out of the way. Wind looked up, and it was Time, but it wasn’t. His hair was longer, flowing in a breeze that didn’t exist and stark white. He had both eyes, but no iris. His face was blank.

“Time?”

He started walking away. “Wait, Time!”

Wind took his hand. He was shaken off, and Time kept walking. When Wind tried again, this time grabbing onto him with both hands and pulling, Time raised a fist.

Twilight stepped in front of him. Time stopped, his fist in the air. His face didn’t even twitch.

“This is no longer your fight. Go.” Twilight looked broken, but his voice was hard. “You made your choice.”

Time walked away, into the haze that was settled over the cursed world.

“Come on, Wind.” Twilight’s face was drawn and pale, covered in ash except for two lines from his eyes, where tears had cut through. “We need to keep fighting. For all of them.” His voice cracked, and he shook where he was standing.

Wind let out a noise. “I want to go home.”

He wanted to curl up into a ball and wake up. This had to be a dream, right? Time wouldn’t leave them, not _here_ , in this evil place, not when he was weeks away from being a father. Warriors and Hyrule were too strong to die. They couldn’t die, it didn’t happen like that. The heroes won, they didn’t die, _they won_.

“Me too.”

“Wind!”

Four was calling to him. There were more creatures to defeat.

“Wind, where are yo- Fuck!”

There was a blast of darkness as Four was knocked down. His Four Sword skittered out of his hand, right under the foot of a waiting shadow. Wind could almost hear the gem of the pommel crack, but the sound was cut off by Four’s pained shout.

_Four._

They held their own for an exceptionally long time, given how long they had been one person, and the fact they had no weapons. They weaved between the creatures, using their heights as an advantage. But when Vio was cut down, a spear in his abdomen, the other three were quick to fall with him.

“No!”

Twilight sunk to his knees. “Fuck…”

Legend, Wild and Sky came running up to them. Dark arrows pierced the ground where they were standing. Almost by instinct, Wind took his place in the tight circle they formed.

_This is our last stand_ , something in Wind told him.

_We’re not surviving this_.

Legend let out a furious cry. “Fuck you! Fuck whoever did this! _Fucking fuck_!” He stabbed out at the nearest creature, then, when the monsters stepped back, he followed them.

“Legend! Get back!” Wild yelled, but Wind didn’t even think Legend heard him as he enveloped himself in the monsters. The was a flash of Legend’s fire rod, a roar as the fire enveloped the creatures, black blood lighting up like oil, and a scream.

_Five._

There were still too many creatures. There was smoke in Wind’s eyes, his mouth, his lungs, penetrating him until he felt like he was lost to the death and the pain and the numbness and the isolation.

The creatures had arrows. Sky didn’t have a shield, but he managed to take down at least ten of the creatures before there were too many arrows in his chest for him to move. “I can’t hear her,” He said. “I can’t hear Fi. She’s gone. I can’t hear her, I can’t hear her, where is she, I said I was coming back, _Sun_!”

_Six._

They needed to get out. They needed to go, Wind couldn’t lose Twilight and Wild as well. But Wind could already feel them going.

Twilight was Wolfie. He was snarling, and bloody, and he was jumping at the creatures with reckless abandon. Wild had managed to get four cuts along his chest but was ignoring them, and he was glowing slightly with a blue flame; he had already died once in this place. His face was a mask of stony resilience, which only broke when they heard an animal yelp.

“Twilight!”

The creature pulled its sword out of Wolfie. Twilight had clamped his jaws onto its neck, but as it sunk into the ash, Twilight changed back in a flash. He lifted one arm up, towards Wild and Wind. “Go. You need to get… you need to get out.” His arm dropped.

He didn’t move again.

_Seven_.

“ _No_!” Wind couldn’t tell if it was Wild or himself that had screamed. Maybe it was both of them.

Wind felt a pull in his gut, stronger than ever. The creatures were closing in, and Wind realised with a start that they had the others’ faces. _No._ Wind couldn’t do this.

Wild collapsed next to him, the blood from his wounds staining his tunic. _No. No. No, no no nononononono!_

“Stop! Stop it! Please!” Wind howled to the sky. The pulling got stronger, dragging him up and away from the land, the enemies, the bodies of his friends, his _family_ , being left behind.

“No! Take me back! Stop, I need to help!”

He only managed to grab Wild’s hand and drag him into the portal before he was swallowed up.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. They were supposed to _win_. They couldn’t lose, Hylia had _chosen_ them, they _couldn’t_.

They had.

Wind knew, somewhere deep in his heart, that that was their final battle. Whatever had been infecting the Hyrules was in that world, lying in wait, deep in the ash. And they had failed. And Wind was the only one left to tell the tale.

* * *

Wild’s Zelda was ready for him before he even arrived, with Wild on his back. She told him that Hylia had told her all about the failure, and that Wild’s adventure still wasn’t finished. He would need to be taken apart and put back together differently, so that he could finally complete his quest. Flora said he’d probably see Wild again, but he’d be different. He wouldn’t remember Wind, or any of them, and he wouldn’t be the same person Wind knew. There was too many emotions to count in her eyes as she explained, and Wind knew she already knew how it felt to have someone ripped away from her, only for him to be given back different. She was a stranger to Wind, but they cried together all the same.

He spent a night in Wild’s Hyrule, at the Shrine of Resurrection, watching over Wild as his wounds stitched back together, slower than Wind had ever seen something move before, with Flora next to him. He thought, fleetingly, that if he concentrated hard enough he could keep Wild’s memories for him, and give them back if he ever saw him again. It was selfish; Wild didn’t need more memories of people he hadn’t been able to save, but Wind needed someone to remember what happened that day, so he wouldn’t have to be the one to remember.

Ravio had also already known. He said he felt it, when Legend died. That it felt like the fire was eating _him_ up as well. He said he felt the pain and the sadness and the fear and that he had never felt Legend feel so scared. He said he didn’t blame Wind, which was good, because Wind blamed himself, so at least he had someone who didn’t think of him as the only one who didn’t die. He spent a week with Ravio, and they talked. Ravio had lived in a dark, corrupted place before, and he said he knew how it felt to feel trapped in shadows. He said that whatever Wind did, he wasn’t allowed to lose himself to the shadows. He made Wind promise that he’d stay in the light, and he told Wind there would be days when he felt as if there wasn’t even any light to begin with. But Wind promised, even if it was just so Ravio would stop looking t him like he was going to break. They held a small funeral, but there was no body to mourn, so they left halfway through. Then Hylia had him move on to the next apology.

They all had people waiting for them. But none of them were going to come back.

None, except for Wind.

He thought Malon would be angry, but she just cried. She stood at her ranch, the evidence of the family they had been trying to create swelling her stomach, and she cried. He cried too, and they stood there for hours or minutes or days. No words were spoken, until Malon leant down, and brought him close. ‘ _It’s not your fault,’_ , she whispered. _‘It will never be your fault.’_

But it was, wasn’t it?

* * *

Wind hated being a hero. He was forced to travel around worlds, picking up other heroes that looked like the people he had lost but _weren’t_ , would _never_ be, and see things he never wanted to see again. He woke up screaming more nights than not, and gasping for people who didn’t exist anymore. He didn’t want this.

“Wind, are you alright?”

Spirit was looking at him worriedly. Young was next to him, Navi at his shoulder, and looked as if he wanted to reach out. Red, Blue and Green were standing together, and Wind refused to remember how, in another time, another Hyrule, there used to be a Violet, too. He didn’t look at Fallen’s face. The scars there held to many memories of a person who was the same, but so, so much more.

Fallen’s robotic arm rested on his shoulder. “Wind? I, uh, I know memories are… difficult, but you have to stay with us. We’re gonna get through this.

He didn’t want this.

But he had to.

He sighed, then stood up. “I’m alright. Let’s get going, we’ll be switching soon.”

When he looked at the new heroes, all he saw was his old family. But they didn’t deserve his bitterness, when they looked at him for guidance. He had failed his family once, and, by the _goddess_ , he wouldn’t do it again.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still sorry. The new heroes are based on Spirit Tracks, Young Time, Triforce Heroes and BOTW2 respectively because why not. Leave a comment or kudos if I made you cry!


End file.
